Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 31, 2026
07:56
Resting-State Connectivity and Neuroimaging of Prefrontal Cortex Activity During a Block-Design Yoga Asana Practice Using fNIRS
Published on: June 24, 2025
1.0K
Yoga versus standard care for schizophrenia
Julie Broderick1, Abigail Knowles, Jonathan Chadwick
1Discipline of Physiotherapy, Trinity Centre for Health Sciences, St James's Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
|October 22, 2015
Summary
Yoga may offer benefits for schizophrenia patients as an adjunct therapy, potentially improving mental state and social functioning. However, evidence is limited and requires cautious interpretation due to small sample sizes and short follow-up periods.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Complementary Medicine
- Clinical Trials
Background:
- Yoga, originating in India, is recognized globally as a relaxation and exercise practice.
- Its potential as an adjunctive therapy for schizophrenia warrants investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of yoga compared to standard care for individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Main Methods:
- A systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was conducted using comprehensive database searches.
- Data extraction and quality assessment were performed independently, with statistical analyses including risk ratios and mean differences.
- GRADE methodology was used to assess the quality of evidence.
Main Results:
- Eight RCTs were included, with outcomes primarily short-term (under six months).
- Yoga showed potential benefits in mental state, social functioning, and quality of life, though based on limited studies.
- No significant difference was observed in physical health, and adverse events were not reported.
Conclusions:
- While some positive findings favor yoga, they are based on limited, short-term data from single studies.
- The overall low to moderate quality of evidence is insufficient to conclude yoga's superiority over standard care for schizophrenia management.
Related Concept Videos
01:17Schizophrenia
1.6K
Schizophrenia, a term introduced by Swiss psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler in 1911, describes a severe psychological disorder marked by profound disruptions in attention, thought processes, language, emotion, and interpersonal relationships. The core feature of schizophrenia is psychosis — a state characterized by a fundamental detachment from reality. This disconnection manifests through distorted logic, impaired perception, and atypical behavior, severely affecting the lives of those...
1.6K
01:26Psychosis: Goals of Pharmacotherapy
663
Antipsychotic drugs are a crucial treatment method for acute and chronic psychoses, bipolar illness, and behavioral disorders. The selection of these drugs depends on several factors, including the state of the disease, clinical judgment, possible drug interactions, and the patient's sensitivity to adverse effects. In immediate scenarios, such as delirium and dementia, short-term treatment with low doses of high-potency typical or atypical agents can effectively manage symptom exacerbation.
663
01:28Drug Therapy
408
The advent of drug therapy has profoundly shaped modern mental health care, providing targeted treatments for a range of psychological disorders. Psychotherapeutic drugs, classified into antianxiety, antidepressant, and antipsychotic medications, address symptoms across anxiety disorders, mood disorders, and schizophrenia. While these medications have transformed patient outcomes, they require careful management due to their potential side effects and limitations.
Antianxiety Medications
Antianxiety Medications
408
01:28Psychosis and Antipsychotic Drugs: Overview
1.2K
The term "psychosis" refers to a spectrum of mental disorders characterized by abnormal thoughts, perceptions, and behaviors. It can manifest as mood disorders, dementia, delirium with psychotic features, substance-induced psychosis with psychotic features, brief psychotic disorder, delusional disorder, schizoaffective disorder, and schizophrenia. Among all these disorders, schizophrenia is the most common psychotic disorder, affecting 1% of the worldwide population. Psychotic...
1.2K
01:29Psychological and Sociocultural Causes of Schizophrenia
853
Schizophrenia, a complex psychiatric disorder, has been historically misunderstood. Early psychological theories attributed its origins to childhood trauma and unresponsive parenting. However, contemporary research largely rejects these notions, favoring the vulnerability-stress hypothesis. This model proposes that individuals with a genetic predisposition to schizophrenia may develop the disorder following exposure to significant environmental stressors. Notably, studies on high-risk...
853
01:30Negative and Cognitive Symptoms of Schizophrenia
1.0K
Negative symptoms of schizophrenia indicate a reduction or absence of typical behaviors and emotional responses found in healthy individuals, while positive symptoms reflect an excess or distortion of normal functioning.
Negative Symptoms
Negative symptoms of schizophrenia manifest as deficits in normal emotional and behavioral functioning, profoundly impacting daily life. Individuals with schizophrenia often display a flat affect, characterized by a near-total absence of emotional expression,...
Negative Symptoms
Negative symptoms of schizophrenia manifest as deficits in normal emotional and behavioral functioning, profoundly impacting daily life. Individuals with schizophrenia often display a flat affect, characterized by a near-total absence of emotional expression,...
1.0K